Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

A crowd gathered around them, but before anyone could say anything, YuWon scoffed and kicked the corpse over. However, it wasn't a corpse but a... rag doll that rapidly faded away and turned to dust.

"What the—?" Yuna gasped, stepping back in shock.

She wasn't the only one. All of them were surprised except YuWon and a few of Joon's people.

"I killed him, right?" YuWon looked at Joon's people and smiled. "Do you mind explaining what this is, then?"

When 'Joon' touched his shoulder, the pendant told YuWon what was happening. Joon wasn't there, but he was controlling a puppet. It was his class. That's why YuWon didn't hold back and hit the puppet with all his strength.

The girls he had seen with the bald guy must have told Joon about him. He must have thought of YuWon as someone who could cause him trouble. That's why he orchestrated the act.

Hojin was just an excuse. Joon wanted to brand YuWon as the public enemy since he couldn't defeat him alone. But his plan backfired. Meanwhile, YuWon took a step toward Joon's group and smiled.

"Next time your boss wants something," he said. "Tell him to come and talk face to face. Not hiding behind his puppets like a coward."

Not saying another word, Joon's group hastily stepped back. But as they did, YuWon heard someone clap and looked above. The angel was looking at him with an amused expression.

"It's good to see you're using your gifts wisely," she said. "The sponsors often remark how entertaining it is to watch your performances."

YuWon smiled and gave her a curt nod. He knew nothing good would come from entangling with her. However, his reaction seemed to please the angel even more.

"Silent, as always," she teased, before turning to the crowd. "Greetings, everyone! It's always a joy to witness our hardworking entertainers work even harder!"

The angel waited for applause that never came, but continued unbothered by the lack of enthusiasm.

"This will be your last trial!" she yelled.

Suddenly, the dull eyes of the people were on her. They had only dreamed of the nightmare to end, but now they could see a way out of the mess.

She's playing with us.

YuWon sighed. Everyone could see the angel was playing with them. But in front of hope, they ignored the fact. As for the angel, she enjoyed crushing their hopes with despair, and that's what she did.

"This will be your last trial... on earth," she continued.

In an instant, the hope that everyone had got crushed. If only that much were enough to send them into despair, the next announcement would plunge them into madness.

"I'll explain about your last trial now... hehe."

The angel couldn't control her laugh as she waved her hand. A second later, a massive cage appeared before them and inside... was a humanoid beast. It was fast asleep, but that wouldn't be the case for long.

"Do you know what it is?" YuWon asked Lysandra, who nodded.

"Fire giant... but right now it's just a baby," she replied.

"...that thing is a baby?" Gina mumbled. "It's almost twice YuWon's size!"

Gina's assumption was generous, considering the creature wasn't even standing. If it did, the thing would be over thirty feet tall... roughly five times YuWon's height.

"That's not all," YuWon said, looking around them.

"What do you mean?" Yeji asked.

"We're trapped in here," Lysandra commented. "The moment that cage appeared, a force field appeared around us. We can't enter or leave this place now."

"What!?"

Yuna rushed to the other end, only to get pushed back by an unseen barrier. A soldier tried next, but the result remained unchanged.

"It looks cute while sleeping, doesn't it?" the angel said, floating next to the cage.

The next second, she kicked the cage, and the sleeping giant stirred. The giant opened its fiery eyes and rushed to its feet. A moment later, it ran ahead and slammed its head into the metal bar before getting pushed back.

Enraged, the giant began trashing around the cage, trying to break free. Soon, it had bent a couple of metal bars out of shape. Just as it seemed the giant would break through, the angel snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, the fire giant slowed down, struggling to stay awake. Following the futile struggle, it fell back into a deep sleep. The angel looked at their scared expressions and smiled.

"The baby giant fell asleep again," she said and looked upwards, tapping her lips as if thinking something. "I wonder how long he'll be asleep for? Or if that flimsy cage would be enough to hold it back?"

That explains the barrier around us.

The cage was on the verge of breaking. It felt like even the gentle breeze would pull it apart and if the creature woke up then... they'd all get eaten with nowhere left to escape.

"There are two ways to put the baby to sleep again," the angel continued, her smile widening. "You could sing it a lullaby… in a language the fire giants understand, of course."

It was impossible. The humans didn't even know such creatures existed, so how would they know their darn language? It left them with the second method... which none of them would like.

"Or," the angel said as her eyes shone with a sadistic delight, "you could feed it. A baby with a full stomach would love to sleep than do anything else."

YuWon looked around. At most, there were a hundred people. He didn't care how many he had to feed to the beast, as long as his team could stay alive.

"How many?" YuWon asked the angel, shocking everyone.

"That's for you to figure out... hehe. But know this... if you make it angry, there'll be no saving you," the angel said before flying above. "By the way... you only have fifteen minutes to decide.

Have fun!"

"...we have to feed it!" someone yelled as soon as the angel disappeared.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you volunteer then?" another one replied.

"All hell is about to break loose..." Gina sighed, watching people fight and argue.

Meanwhile, YuWon stood there, his arms crossed. At times like these, he remembered Anna. If only she weren't a crazy bitch, the two of them would have conquered any trial together.

No point crying over spilled milk now.

While he was lost in his thoughts, someone called out his name. It was a voice he hadn't heard in over a year, but he knew who it belonged to.

"YuWon...? Is that you, son?"

YuWon's entire body stiffened. Yet, he didn't turn around. He couldn't even if he tried because it felt as if his feet were buried in the ground. His parents were the last people he wanted to see in that place.

But even then, there was a strange part of him that was glad they were alive. But the rest of him... he couldn't care less.

"Mom! Dad!" Yeji called out.

Unlike YuWon, she instantly rushed towards them, wrapping her stepmother in a hug. Her father stood nearby, watching YuWon with a stern face like he didn't want him there.

"YuWon... it's me," his mother called out again.

He didn't want to turn around. He didn't want to face her—any of them. But then... he didn't want to drag things out. After all, he had to focus on the trial as well and had little time to spare.

With that thought, he turned around. His mother looked disheveled, and no longer had the well-kept appearance he remembered. But it was her.

"...it's been a while, isn't it?"

She forced a smile on her face and stepped forward, raising her arms as if she were expecting a hug. But what she got was a glare that made her stop in her tracks.

She had never seen her son look at her like that. His gaze was full of disdain and hate. Understanding it wasn't the union she had expected, she lowered her hands, fidgeting awkwardly.

For a moment, no one said anything. Yeji, as usual, was quick to notice the tension and stepped between the mother-son duo. She then smiled nervously at YuWon, as if begging him to stay calm.

But Yeji's father didn't care about all that and scoffed, walking straight toward YuWon.

"Even a piece of shit like you survived this far, huh?"

Everyone froze. Yuna and Lysandra exchanged wide-eyed glances, stunned by what they had just heard. The soldiers around them shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to react. As for Gina... she looked like she was about to kill him.

"Dad, please—" Yeji quickly stepped forward to stop the situation from escalating further, but her father didn't want to listen.

"Step away, Yeji!" her father barked. "I'm not talking to you."

Yeji opened her mouth again, but YuWon shook his head, stopping her. He was eager to listen to what the pathetic excuse of a man had to say about him.

"You should be grateful your mother even acknowledged you after all the things you've done," he said, crossing his arms. "And instead of groveling for forgiveness, you dare look at her like that?"

"He's dead..." Yuna muttered under her breath.